We’re all no doubt familiar with the Pareto Principle – the 80-20 Rule that indicates the leveraged power of just 20% of our energy impacting 80% of our results

Take for instance 100 habits or actions you partake in that contribute to your health, wealth, relationship well being etc and identify the crucial top 20 that would have the biggest impact on your results. Now take those 20 listed items and distill to the top 20% again.

Now you are left with just 4 key levers. The suggestion is that if you place 96% of your focus on this crucial 4% you will crush your goals beyond belief.

There is compelling evidence that this is where the real magic lies.

The wealth of nations is held in the hands of the 4%, the top ranked professional sports stars (top 4%) earn far more than those on the periphery of the top 20%. Movie stars follow the same pattern, as do fund managers, corporate lawyers, commission sales professionals etc.

Marginal differences in performance statistics in basketball, baseball and golf show up with a multiplier effect in prize money and endorsement payoff.

Identifying and focusing solely on mastering the 4% doesn’t diminish the 96% foundation work and glue that holds everything together but knowing when and where to apply maximum pressure can be a game changer.

Scientific contrarians risked life and ridicule to express seemingly mystical notions such as the place we call home is neither flat nor static but indeed is a ball shaped planet hurtling through space at breakneck speed dictated by an invisible force called gravity. A few whose knowledge completely altered the world as we know it

The weight loss industry would collapse overnight if its adherents were to ignore 96% of the narrative and marketing slogans and merely ate less – specifically simple carbohydrates and sugar.

Unless you have an urge to compete competitively or indulge in time consuming pursuits such as marathon running or long distance swimming, it is possible to maintain a higher than you might expect level of fitness via 3-5 minutes a day of high intensity workouts. An example of one session I’m currently partaking includes 125 push-ups, followed by 35 controlled sit-ups, followed by 10 bar pull ups. 3 minutes once or twice a day over 12 months can result in a compound effect that would probably shock you.

For some, investing in a massive focus on their key (4%) relationships would utterly transform their lives.

This habit of applying maximum focus to the key levers in our lives can be transformative and more practical than attempting to improve everything and ultimately defaulting to the habitual norm, the status quo of the 96%